The Model of Uptake with Instantaneous Adsorption and Efflux, MUIAE, describing and predicting the overall Cd uptake by the metal-resistant bacterium Cupriavidus metallidurans CH34, is presented. MUIAE takes into account different processes at the bacteria-medium interface with specific emphasis on the uptake and efflux kinetics and the decrease in bulk metal concentration. A single set of eight parameters provides a reasonable description of experimentally determined adsorbed and internalized Cd, as well as the evolution of dissolved Cd concentrations with time, for an initial Cd concentration between 10(-8) and 10(-4) M, covering the situation of contaminated environments and heavily polluted effluents. The same set of parameters allowed successful prediction of the internalized and adsorbed Cd as a function of the measured free Cd ion concentration in the presence of natural and anthropogenic ligands. The findings of the present study reveal the key role of Cd efflux and bulk depletion on the overall Cd uptake by C. metallidurans, and the need to account for these processes to understand and improve the efficiency of the metal removal from the contaminated environment